Generating speech from a computer is known in the art. A computer can generate speech a number of ways, but the structure of the language from a computer rarely resembles natural human speech. Prior art of computer generated speech typically stores a limited number of sentences which can be uttered at predetermined times, which limits the expressiveness of computer-generated language. In such prior art systems, representations of sentences are output to a speech synthesizer to produce audible sounds.
Human instructions to a driver typically instruct the driver to follow some path until some recognizable event occurs and thereafter to perform some other action. In a vehicle navigation system, prior art speech generation methods, which store a limited number of sentences, would likely be unable to produce maximally useful instructions to the user, since the instructions required in such a system might change in an almost limitless number of combinations. More helpful instructions from a machine would more closely resemble the style, syntax, and structure of instructions from a human.
In speech synthesis, and more particularly, in a vehicle navigation system, a method of generating naturally structured instructions to a user from a computer would be an improvement over the prior art.